Garment

ABSTRACT

A garment prevents a wearer from moving a shoulder forward to put an arm in front of the trunk. The garment includes a body with front and rear bodies. The right sleeve is connected with the right armhole and, when longitudinally stretched by  10 %, generates a longitudinal tension of  25  cN or more. The left sleeve is connected with the left armhole and, when longitudinally stretched by  10 %, generates a longitudinal tension of  25  cN or more. A first upper area of the rear body with four corners at the upper and lower ends of the right armhole and the left armhole has a minimum horizontal width shorter than a second upper area of the front body with four corners at the upper and lower ends of the right armhole and the left armhole.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to garments.

BACKGROUND ART

A garment is known, which can cover at least a portion of the upper bodyof a wearer. See Patent Literature 1, for example.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: JP 2014-196587 A

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

When using a mobile device such as a smartphone, a person tends tochange his/her posture to put an arm in front of the trunk to operatethe mobile device. In this posture, so-called “rounded shoulders,” theperson often moves a shoulder forward from a position in a predefinedposture. When the person maintains this posture frequently orcontinuously, he/she can suffer stiff shoulders, a bad posture, or thelike.

Note that the predefined posture is a good posture generally known, morespecifically, a posture in which the root of the neck, shoulders,elbows, and ankles of a person standing on a flat surface are aligned ina straight line, when viewed from a side of the person.

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the invention is devised. Anobject of the invention is to provide a garment preventing a wearer frommoving a shoulder forward to put an arm in front of the trunk.

A garment according to the invention can cover at least a portion of theupper body of a wearer. The garment includes a tubular body extendingvertically, a right sleeve, and a left sleeve. The body includes a frontbody and a rear body connected with the front body to form a neckline, ahem, a right armhole, and a left armhole. The hem is disposed below theneckline. The right armhole is disposed right of the neckline. The leftarmhole is disposed left of the neckline. A first upper area of the rearbody with four corners at the upper and lower ends of the right armholeand the left armhole has a minimum horizontal width shorter than asecond upper area of the front body with four corners at the upper andlower ends of the right armhole and the left armhole. The right sleeveis connected with the right armhole and is capable of generating alongitudinal tension of 25 cN or more, when longitudinally stretched by10%. The left sleeve is connected with the left armhole and is capableof generating a longitudinal tension of 25 cN or more, whenlongitudinally stretched by 10%.

The tension of 25 cN that the right and left sleeves each generate, abelow-mentioned tension that the (front or rear) body generates, and thetensions described in the claims are measured as follows. A piece suchas a texture, which is 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, is cut out of a clothused in the manufacture of a garment. The piece is stretched in apredetermined direction at a rate of 30 cm/min. A tension of the piecestretched by 10% is measured.

The structure of the garment enables a wearer to pull the garment overhis/her head. The structure also enables the area of connection betweenthe right sleeve and the rear side of the right armhole to be largerthan the area of connection between the right sleeve and the front sideof the right armhole. As a result, a wearer does not easily move theright sleeve forward in relation to the body, while he/she easily movesthe right sleeve backward.

The structure enables the area of connection between the left sleeve andthe rear side of the left armhole to be larger than the area ofconnection between the left sleeve and the front side of the leftarmhole. As a result, a wearer does not easily move the left sleeveforward in relation to the body, while he/she easily moves the leftsleeve backward.

Since the right sleeve longitudinally stretched by 10% generates alongitudinal tension of 25 cN or more, the area of connection betweenthe right sleeve and the right armhole can be substantially maintainedat a first position relative to the body, at which the area ofconnection is located immediately after a person wears the garment.Since the left sleeve longitudinally stretched by 10% generates alongitudinal tension of 25 cN or more, the area of connection betweenthe left sleeve and the left armhole can be substantially maintained ata second position relative to the body, at which the area of connectionis located immediately after a person wears the garment.

Thus, the garment can prevent the wearer from frequently andcontinuously having the bad posture, i.e. moving the right and leftshoulders forward to put the right and left arms in front of the trunk.As a result, the garment can prevent the wearer from suffering roundedshoulders.

The right sleeve may generate a circumferential tension of 25 cN ormore, when circumferentially stretched by 10%. The left sleeve maygenerate a circumferential tension of 25 cN or more, whencircumferentially stretched by 10%.

We newly found that the tension of the right sleeve exerts a strongforce to move the area of connection between the right sleeve and theright armhole backward from the first position, i.e. toward thehorizontal center of the back of the wearer.

We newly found that the tension of the left sleeve exerts a strong forceto move the area of connection between the left sleeve and the leftarmhole backward from the second position, i.e. toward the horizontalcenter of the back of the wearer.

This can put a load on the right and left arms, and further on the rightand left shoulders to move them backward. Accordingly, the wearer hardlyhas the bad posture, i.e. hardly moves the right and left shouldersforward to put the right and left arms in front of the trunk. Thiseffectively prevents the wearer from suffering rounded shoulders. Thiscan also greatly correct rounded shoulders.

A garment according to the invention can cover at least a portion of theupper body of a wearer. The garment includes a tubular body extendingvertically, a right sleeve, and a left sleeve. The body includes a frontbody and a rear body connected with the front body to form a neckline, ahem, a right armhole, and a left armhole. The hem is disposed below theneckline. The right armhole is disposed right of the neckline. The leftarmhole is disposed left of the neckline. A first upper area of the rearbody with four corners at the upper and lower ends of the right armholeand the left armhole has a minimum horizontal width shorter than asecond upper area of the front body with four corners at the upper andlower ends of the right armhole and the left armhole. The right sleeveis not longitudinally stretchy to generate a longitudinal tension lessthan 25 cN, when longitudinally stretched by 10%, but can generate acircumferential tension of 25 cN or more, when circumferentiallystretched by 10%. The left sleeve is not longitudinally stretchy togenerate a longitudinal tension less than 25 cN, when longitudinallystretched by 10%, but can generate a circumferential tension of 25 cN ormore, when circumferentially stretched by 10%.

The structure of the garment enables a wearer to pull the garment overhis/her head. The structure also enables the area of connection betweenthe right sleeve and the rear side of the right armhole to be largerthan the area of connection between the right sleeve and the front sideof the right armhole. As a result, a wearer does not easily move theright sleeve forward in relation to the body, while he/she easily movesthe right sleeve backward.

The structure enables the area of connection between the left sleeve andthe rear side of the left armhole to be larger than the area ofconnection between the left sleeve and the front side of the leftarmhole. As a result, a wearer does not easily move the left sleeveforward in relation to the body, while he/she easily moves the leftsleeve backward.

The structure of the right sleeve maintains the area of connectionbetween the right sleeve and the right armhole substantially at a firstposition relative to the body, at which the area of connection islocated immediately after a person wears the garment. The structure ofthe left sleeve maintains the area of connection between the left sleeveand the left armhole substantially at a second position relative to thebody, at which the area of connection is located immediately after aperson wears the garment.

Thus, the garment can prevent the wearer from frequently andcontinuously having the bad posture, i.e. moving the right and leftshoulders forward to put the right and left arms in front of the trunk.As a result, the garment can prevent the wearer from suffering roundedshoulders.

The right sleeve may be a long sleeve covering the upper right arm ofthe wearer and at least a portion of the lower right arm of the wearer.The left sleeve may be a long sleeve covering the upper left arm of thewearer and at least a portion of the lower left arm of the wearer.

This structure of the garment enables the right sleeve to be stretchedalong the upper right arm and at least a portion of the lower right armto enhance adhesion of the right sleeve to a larger area of the rightarm. This structure of the garment also enables the left sleeve to bestretched along the upper left arm and at least a portion of the lowerleft arm to enhance adhesion of the left sleeve to a larger area of theleft arm.

Accordingly, the right sleeve is prevented from riding up toward theright shoulder, and the left sleeve is prevented from riding up towardthe left shoulder. This prevents the area of connection between theright sleeve and the right armhole from biting into the right armpit andprevents the area of connection between the left sleeve and the leftarmhole from biting into the left armpit. As a result, the garment doesnot make the wearer feel uncomfortable.

The right sleeve may be a short sleeve covering the upper right arm ofthe wearer. The left sleeve may be a short sleeve covering the upperleft arm of the wearer.

The first upper area of the rear body circumferentially stretched by apercentage may generate a circumferential tension not weaker than alongitudinal tension that each of the right sleeve and the left sleevelongitudinally stretched by the same percentage generates. The secondupper area of the front body circumferentially stretched by a percentagemay generate a circumferential tension weaker than a circumferentialtension that the first upper area of the rear body circumferentiallystretched by the same percentage generates.

When the body is stretched, force restoring the body to its initial form(before stretched) acts on each of the front and rear bodies. Since thecircumferential tension of the first upper area of the rear body isstronger than that of the second upper area of the front body, therestoring force acting on the rear body is stronger than that acting onthe front body.

The restoring force acting on the rear body moves the right and leftarmholes toward the center of the back of the wearer. Since the garmentis stretched by the wearer, the restoring force acting on the rear bodymoves the right and left shoulders of the wearer toward the center ofthe back of the wearer, as well as the area of connection between theright sleeve and the right armhole and the area of connection betweenthe left sleeve and the left armhole.

The right sleeve continuously pulls the right arm of the wearerbackward, and the left sleeve continuously pulls the left arm of thewearer backward. The restoring force acting on the rear bodycontinuously pulls the right and left shoulders toward the center of theback of the wearer.

Thus, the garment can more effectively prevent the wearer fromfrequently and continuously having the bad posture, i.e. moving theright and left shoulders forward to put the right and left arms in frontof the trunk. As a result, the garment can greatly prevent the wearerfrom suffering rounded shoulders.

When the minimum horizontal width of the second upper area of the frontbody is X and the minimum horizontal width of the first upper area ofthe rear body is Y, Y/X may fall within a range from approximately 0.05to approximately 0.9.

This structure can effectively prevent rounded shoulders and correctrounded shoulders.

The first upper area of the rear body circumferentially stretched by apercentage may generate a circumferential tension of the same magnitudeas a longitudinal tension that each of the right sleeve and the leftsleeve longitudinally stretched by the same percentage generates. Thesecond upper area of the front body circumferentially stretched by apercentage may generate a circumferential tension of the same magnitudeas a circumferential tension that the first upper area of the rear bodycircumferentially stretched by the same percentage generates. The rightsleeve and the left sleeve longitudinally stretched by the samepercentage may generate a longitudinal tension of the same magnitude.

The circumferential tension of the front body and the rear body has thesame magnitude as the longitudinal tension of the right sleeve and theleft sleeve. Accordingly, the front body, the rear body, the rightsleeve, and the left sleeve can be manufactured from the same material.This enables the garment to be made of single material to reduce itsmanufacture cost.

The invention can provide the garment preventing a wearer from moving ashoulder forward to put an arm in front of the trunk.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a garment according to an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the garment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the garment of FIG. 1 worn by aperson.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An embodiment of the invention will be explained with reference to thedrawings.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a garment 1 according to an embodiment ofthe invention. FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the garment 1. FIG. 3 shows apartially enlarged view of FIG. 2. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the garment 1 isspread flat. In FIG. 3, a right sleeve 3 and a left sleeve 4, which aredescribed below, are omitted for the purpose of illustration.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the garment 1 can cover at least a portion of theupper body of a wearer. The garment 1 may be used as an under garment,or as an intermediate or outer garment, which is worn over an undergarment. The garment 1 is a shirt capable of covering almost all theupper body of a wearer. The garment 1 is stretchy.

The garment 1 includes a body 2, a right sleeve 3, and a left sleeve 4.The body 2 has a neckline 6, a hem 7, a right armhole 8, and a leftarmhole 9. In relation to the body 2, the neckline 6 and the hem 7determine a vertical direction, and the right armhole 8 and the leftarmhole 9 determine a horizontal direction. The hem 7 is disposed belowthe neckline 6. The right armhole 8 is disposed right of the neckline 6.The left armhole 9 is disposed left of the neckline 6.

The body 2 is a tube extending vertically and has a front body 11 and arear body 12. The rear body 12 is connected with the front body 11 toform the neckline 6, hem 7, right armhole 8, and left armhole 9. Thefront body 11 and the rear body 12 are separable with each other, butthey may be integrated with each other.

A first upper area 17 of the rear body 12 with four corners at the upperand lower ends of the right armhole 8 and the left armhole 9 has aminimum horizontal width Y shorter than the minimum horizontal width Xof a second upper area 13 of the front body 11 with four corners at theupper and lower ends of the right armhole 8 and the left armhole 9.

The body 2 is a stretchy tube, whose axis extends in the verticaldirection. The front body 11 faces the front face of the upper body of awearer and covers almost all the front face. The rear body 12 faces therear face of the upper body of the wearer and covers almost all the rearface.

The front body 11 and the rear body 12 are sewed up to form openings ofthe neckline 6, hem 7, right armhole 8, and left armhole 9 and to bealigned in a front-back direction to form a tube. Thus, the body 2 has atubular shape with openings serving as the neckline 6 and hem 7 and cancover almost all the upper body of a wearer. The body 2 is substantiallyleft-right symmetric.

The body 2 is manufactured from two or more clothes, which havedifferent properties. Concretely, the front body 11 is manufactured froma first cloth and the rear body 12 is manufactured from a second cloth.The first and second clothes are stretchy to allow the body 2 to fit theupper body of a wearer. The second cloth stretched by a percentagegenerates a tension stronger than the first cloth stretched by the samepercentage. More specifically, the second cloth allows the upper area 13of the rear body 12 circumferentially stretched by a percentage togenerate a circumferential tension stronger than a circumferentialtension that the upper area 13 of the front body 11 circumferentiallystretched by the same percentage generates.

The body 2 is stretched from an initial form (before the garment 1 isworn) along the upper body of a wearer to fit and cover the upper body.While covering the upper body of the wearer, the body 2 easily generatesrestoring forces to restore the front body 11 and the rear body 12 totheir respective initial forms.

The restoring forces include first restoring force and second restoringforce. The first restoring force is caused by a tension of the firstcloth to restore the upper area 13 of the front body 11 to its initialform. The second restoring force is caused by a tension of the secondcloth to restore the upper area 13 of the rear body 12 to its initialform. The second restoring force is stronger than the first restoringforce. In other words, the rear body 12 is more easily restored to itsinitial form than the front body 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the right armhole 8 has a right front rim 21 and aright rear rim 22. The right front rim 21 is disposed on a right upperportion of the front body 11, i.e. the right edge of its upper area 13and extends in substantially the vertical direction. The right rear rim22 is disposed on a right upper portion of the rear body 12, i.e. theright edge of its upper area 13 and extends in substantially thevertical direction.

A sewed portion between the front body 11 and the rear body 12 connectsthe upper end of the right front rim 21 with the upper end of the rightrear rim 22. Another sewed portion between the front body 11 and therear body 12 connects the lower end of the right front rim 21 with thelower end of the right rear rim 22. Thus, the right opening is formed onthe body 2 and allows the right arm of a wearer to pass therethrough.

The right front rim 21 has a curved shape convex to the left side of thefront body 11, i.e. convex to the neckline 6. A right front peak 23 islocated at the leftmost portion of the right front rim 21. The rightrear rim 22 has a curved shape convex to the left side of the rear body12, i.e. convex to the neckline 6. A right rear peak 24 is located atthe leftmost portion of the right rear rim 22.

The curved shape of the right rear rim 22 has curvature radiusesgenerally smaller than the curved shape of the right front rim 21 sothat the right rear peak 24 is disposed left of the right front peak 23,i.e. horizontally inside it. Concretely, the lower end of the rightfront rim 21 is disposed right of the upper end of the right front rim21, i.e. horizontally outside the garment 1.

The right rear peak 24 is disposed substantially below the neckline 6since the right rear rim 22 is curved more largely than the right frontrim 21. The right rear rim 22 allows the right rear peak 24 to belocated nearer to the lower portion of the rear body 12 than thevertical center of the right rear rim 22. As a result, the lower portionof the right armhole 8 encloses an area larger than the upper portion ofthe right armhole 8.

The left armhole 9 has a left front rim 26 and a left rear rim 27. Theleft front rim 26 is disposed on a left upper portion of the front body11, i.e. the left edge of its upper area 13 and extends in substantiallythe vertical direction. The left rear rim 27 is disposed on a left upperportion of the rear body 12, i.e. the left edge of its upper area 13 andextends in substantially the vertical direction.

A sewed portion between the front body 11 and the rear body 12 connectsthe upper end of the left front rim 26 with the upper end of the leftrear rim 27. Another sewed portion between the front body 11 and therear body 12 connects the lower end of the left front rim 26 with thelower end of the left rear rim 27. Thus, the left opening is formed onthe body 2 and allows the left arm of a wearer to pass therethrough.

The left front rim 26 has a curved shape convex to the right side of thefront body 11, i.e. convex to the neckline 6. A left front peak 28 islocated at the rightmost portion of the left front rim 26. The left rearrim 27 has a curved shape convex to the right side of the rear body 12,i.e. convex to the neckline 6. A left rear peak 29 is located at therightmost portion of the left rear rim 27.

The curved shape of the left rear rim 27 has curvature radiusesgenerally smaller than the curved shape of the left front rim 26 so thatthe left rear peak 29 is disposed right of the left front peak 28, i.e.horizontally inside the garment 1. Concretely, the lower end of the leftfront rim 26 is disposed left of the upper end of the left front rim 26,i.e. horizontally outside the garment 1.

The left rear peak 29 is disposed substantially below the neckline 6since the left rear rim 27 is curved more largely than the left frontrim 26. The left rear rim 27 allows the left rear peak 29 to be locatednearer to the lower portion of the rear body 12 than the vertical centerof the left rear rim 27. As a result, the lower portion of the leftarmhole 9 encloses an area larger than the upper portion of the leftarmhole 9.

The upper areas 13 of the front body 11 and the rear body 12 are definedso that the right armhole 8 and the left armhole 9 have their upper endsat substantially the same vertical position and their lower ends atsubstantially the same vertical position. Note that the upper ends arenot required to be located at exactly the same vertical position, one ofthem may be shifted from the other within an acceptable range. The sameis true for the lower ends.

The first upper area 17 of the rear body 12 extends horizontally fromthe right armhole 8 to the left armhole 9. The second upper area 18 ofthe front body 11 extends horizontally from the right armhole 8 to theleft armhole 9.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the right sleeve 3 fits and covers the right armof a wearer. The right sleeve 3 is connected with the right armhole 8 toextend from the body 2. When stretched by 10% longitudinally, i.e. inthe axial direction of the right sleeve 3 (as shown by an arrow 33 ofthe FIG. 1,) the right sleeve 3 generates a longitudinal tension no lessthan 25 centinewton (cN) nor more than 300 cN.

The left sleeve 4 fits and covers the left arm of a wearer. The leftsleeve 4 is connected with the left armhole 9 to extend from the body 2.When stretched by 10% longitudinally, i.e. in the axial direction of theleft sleeve 4 (as shown by an arrow 35 of the FIG. 1,) the tube-shapedleft sleeve 4 generates a longitudinal tension no less than 25 cN normore than 300 cN. The right sleeve 3 and the left sleeve 4 aresubstantially left-right symmetric.

The right sleeve 3 is a stretchy tube connected with the body 2 suchthat the hollow of the right sleeve 3 is connected with the inside ofthe body 2. The longitudinal length of the right sleeve 3, i.e. thelength between the right armhole 8 and the lower edge of the rightsleeve 3 is at least half the length of the right arm of a wearer. Theright sleeve 3 extends along, fits, and covers the right arm of thewearer.

The right sleeve 3 is manufactured from a third cloth, which is stretchysuch that the right sleeve 3 can be stretched mainly in thecircumferential direction along the right arm of the wearer. The thirdcloth stretched by a percentage generates a tension stronger than thefirst cloth stretched by the same percentage and not weaker than thesecond cloth stretched by the same percentage. In other words, the thirdcloth allows the right sleeve 3 longitudinally stretched by a percentageto generate a longitudinal tension stronger than a circumferentialtension that the upper area 13 of the front body 11 circumferentiallystretched by the same percentage generates.

The left sleeve 4 is a stretchy tube connected with the body 2 such thatthe hollow of the left sleeve 4 is connected with the inside of the body2. The longitudinal length of the left sleeve 4, i.e. the length betweenthe left armhole 9 and the lower edge of the left sleeve 4 is at leasthalf the length of the left arm of a wearer. The left sleeve 4 extendsalong, fits, and covers the left arm of the wearer.

The left sleeve 4 is manufactured from a fourth cloth, which is stretchysuch that the left sleeve 4 can be stretched mainly in thecircumferential direction along the left arm of the wearer. The fourthcloth stretched by a percentage generates a tension stronger than thefirst cloth stretched by the same percentage and not weaker than thesecond cloth stretched by the same percentage. In other words, thefourth cloth allows the left sleeve 4 longitudinally stretched by apercentage to generate a longitudinal tension stronger than acircumferential tension that the upper area 13 of the front body 11circumferentially stretched by the same percentage generates.

The above-mentioned tensions are measured as follows. A texture, whichis 10 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, is cut out of each cloth used in themanufacture of the right sleeve 3, the left sleeve 4, and the body 2.The texture is stretched by a constant-rate-loading tensile machine, anAGS-X made by Shimadzu Corporation, in a predetermined direction at arate of 30 cm/min. A tension of the texture stretched by 10% is measuredat about 20 degrees Celsius (from about 18 degrees Celsius to about 22degrees Celsius). It is sufficient that the right sleeve 3 and the leftsleeve 4 longitudinally stretched by 10% generate a longitudinal tensionno less than 25 cN nor more than 300 cN; preferably, the right sleeve 3and the left sleeve 4 generate a longitudinal tension no less than 40 cNnor more than 300 cN; more preferably, the right sleeve 3 and the leftsleeve 4 generate a longitudinal tension no less than 60 cN nor morethan 300 cN.

The fourth cloth for the left sleeve 4 has the same properties as thethird cloth for the right sleeve 3. This is not a limited condition. Forexample, the fourth cloth may have the same properties as the secondcloth for the rear body 12, which may have properties the same as ordifferent from properties of the third cloth.

A wearer can pull the garment 1 over his/her head. The wearer can passthe head from the hem 7 through the neckline 6, the right arm from theright armhole 8 through the right sleeve 3, and the left arm from theleft armhole 9 through the left sleeve 4 to cover almost all his/herupper body.

The area of connection between the right sleeve 3 and the right rear rim22 is larger than the area of connection between the right sleeve 3 andthe right front rim 21. This prevents a wearer from easily moving theright sleeve 3 forward in relation to the body 2 but allows the wearerto easily move the right sleeve 3 backward.

The area of connection between the left sleeve 4 and the left rear rim27 is larger than the area of connection between the left sleeve 4 andthe left front rim 26. This prevents a wearer from easily moving theleft sleeve 4 forward in relation to the body 2 but allows the wearer toeasily move the left sleeve 4 backward.

Since the right sleeve 3 longitudinally stretched by 10% generates alongitudinal tension of 25 cN or more, the area of connection betweenthe right sleeve 3 and the right armhole 8 is maintained substantiallyat the first position relative to the body 2, at which the area ofconnection is located immediately after a person wears the garment 1.Since the left sleeve 4 longitudinally stretched by 10% generates alongitudinal tension of 25 cN or more, the area of connection betweenthe left sleeve 4 and the left armhole 9 is maintained substantially atthe second position relative to the body 2, at which the area ofconnection is located immediately after a person wears the garment 1.

Thus, the garment 1 prevents a wearer 51 from frequently andcontinuously having a posture 60, i.e. moving the right and leftshoulders forward to put the right and left arms in front of the trunk.This can prevent the wearer 51 from suffering rounded shoulders and, ifthe wearer 51 has already had rounded shoulders, can correct the roundedshoulders.

The right sleeve 3 generates a longitudinal tension of 25 cN or more,when longitudinally stretched by 10%, and a circumferential tension noless than 25 cN nor more than 300 cN, when circumferentially (i.e. inthe direction of the arrow 34 in FIG. 1) stretched by 10%. The leftsleeve 4 generates a longitudinal tension of 25 cN or more, whenlongitudinally stretched by 10%, and a circumferential tension no lessthan 25 cN nor more than 300 cN, when circumferentially (i.e. in thedirection of the arrow 36 in FIG. 1) stretched by 10%.

When a person wears the garment 1, the tension of the right sleeve 3causes a strong force to act on the area of connection between the rightsleeve 3 and the right armhole 8; the force moves the area of connectionbackward from the first position. Similarly, the tension of the leftsleeve 4 causes a strong force to act on the area of connection betweenthe left sleeve 4 and the left armhole 9; the force moves the area ofconnection backward from the second position.

This can put heavy loads on the arms and shoulders of the person to bemoved backward. Accordingly, the person hardly has the posture 60, inwhich the person moves the shoulders forward to put the arms in front ofthe trunk. Thus, the person is more effectively prevented from sufferingrounded shoulders. If the person has already had rounded shoulders, thegarment 1 can correct the rounded shoulders.

The right sleeve 3 and the left sleeve 4 circumferentially stretched by10%, preferably, generate a circumferential tension no less than 40 cNnor more than 300 cN; more preferably, generate a circumferentialtension no less than 60 cN nor more than 300 cN.

In contrast to the above-mentioned structure, the right sleeve 3 or theleft sleeve 4 may be not longitudinally stretchy to generate alongitudinal tension less than 25 cN, when longitudinally stretched by10%, but generate a circumferential tension of 25 cN or more, whencircumferentially stretched by 10%.

The right sleeve 3 is a long sleeve covering the upper right arm of awearer of the garment 1 and at least a portion of the lower right arm ofthe wearer. The left sleeve 4 is a long sleeve covering the upper leftarm of the wearer of the garment 1 and at least a portion of the lowerleft arm of the wearer. The long sleeve may cover an upper arm andalmost the entirety of a lower arm, or like a three-quarter sleeve, maycover an upper arm and only a portion of a lower arm.

This structure of the garment 1 enables the right sleeve 3 to bestretched along the upper right arm and at least a portion of the lowerright arm to enhance adhesion of the right sleeve to a larger area ofthe right arm. This structure of the garment 1 also enables the leftsleeve 4 to be stretched along the upper left arm and at least a portionof the lower left arm of the wearer to enhance adhesion of the leftsleeve 4 to a larger area of the left arm.

Accordingly, the right sleeve 3 is prevented from riding up toward theright shoulder, and the left sleeve 4 is prevented from riding up towardthe left shoulder. This prevents the area of connection between theright sleeve 3 and the right armhole 8 from biting into the right armpitand prevents the area of connection between the left sleeve 4 and theleft armhole 9 from biting into the left armpit. As a result, thegarment 1 does not make the wearer feel uncomfortable.

The garment 1 is not required to have the long right sleeve 3 and longleft sleeve 4. A garment according to the invention may have a shortright sleeve covering the upper right arm of a wearer and a short-leftsleeve covering the upper left arm of the wearer.

The upper area 13 of the rear body 12 circumferentially stretched by apercentage generates a circumferential tension not weaker than alongitudinal tension that each of the right sleeve 3 and the left sleeve4 longitudinally stretched by the same percentage generates. The upperarea 13 of the front body 11 circumferentially stretched by a percentagegenerates a circumferential tension weaker than the upper area 13 of therear body 12 circumferentially stretched by the same percentage.

When the body 2 is stretched, force restoring the body 2 to its initialform (before stretched) acts on each of the front body 11 and rear body12. Since the circumferential tension of the upper area 13 of the rearbody 12 is stronger than that of the upper area 13 of the front body 11,the second restoring forces 55 and 56 (cf. FIG. 4) acting on the rearbody 12 are stronger than the first restoring force acting on the frontbody 11.

The second restoring forces 55 and 56 move the right armhole 8 and theleft armhole 9 toward the center of the back of the wearer. Since thebody 2 is stretched by the wearer 51 as shown in FIG. 4, the secondrestoring forces 55 and 56 moves the right and left shoulders of thewearer 51 toward the center of the back of the wearer 51, as well as thearea of connection between the right sleeve 3 and the right armhole 8and the area of connection between the left sleeve 4 and the leftarmhole 9.

The right sleeve 3 continuously pulls the right arm of the wearerbackward, and the left sleeve 4 continuously pulls the left arm of thewearer backward. The second restoring forces 55 and 56 acting on therear body 12 continuously pull the right and left shoulders of thewearer toward the center of the back of the wearer.

Thus, the garment 1 can more effectively prevent the wearer fromfrequently and continuously having the bad posture 60, i.e. moving theshoulders forward to put the arms in front of the trunk. As a result,the garment 1 can prevent the wearer from suffering rounded shouldersand can correct rounded shoulders.

In the embodiment, the properties of the second cloth for manufacture ofthe rear body 12 solely determine how strongly a tension is generated bythe rear body 12 stretched. Alternatively, the rear body 12 may bemanufactured from a different cloth and elastic material such as rubber.In this case, the properties of the elastic material may solely, ortogether with the properties of the different cloth, determine howstrongly a tension is generated by the rear body 12 stretched.

The (first cloth used for manufacture of the) front body 11 acts thefirst restoring force on its upper area 13 stretched. This is not alimited condition. For example, the (first cloth used for manufacture ofthe) front body 11 may hardly act the first restoring force on the upperarea 13 stretched as long as the first cloth does not cause the garment1 to be hard to wear.

The minimum horizontal width Y of the first upper area 17 of the rearbody 12 divided by the minimum horizontal width X of the second upperarea 18 of the front body 11, Y/X, falls within a range fromapproximately 0.05 to approximately 0.9. This enables the garment 1 toenhance the effect of preventing and correcting rounded shoulders.Preferably, the ratio Y/X falls within a range from approximately 0.1 toapproximately 0.9, more preferably, from approximately 0.2 toapproximately 0.8.

Suppose that, when the upper area 13 of the front body 11 (i.e. thesecond upper area 18) circumferentially stretched by a percentagegenerates a first circumferential tension, the upper area 13 of the rearbody 12 (i.e. the first upper area 17) circumferentially stretched bythe same percentage generates a second circumferential tension. Theright sleeve 3 and the left sleeve 4 longitudinally stretched by thesame percentage each generate a longitudinal tension, which is strongerthan the first circumferential tension and weaker than the secondcircumferential tension. Alternatively, the longitudinal tension and thefirst and second circumferential tensions may have the same magnitude.

In other words, the upper area 13 of the rear body 12 circumferentiallystretched by a percentage may generate a circumferential tension of thesame magnitude as a longitudinal tension that each of the right sleeve 3and the left sleeve 4 longitudinally stretched by the same percentagegenerates. The upper area 13 of the front body 11 circumferentiallystretched by a percentage may generate a circumferential tension of thesame magnitude as a circumferential tension that the upper area 13 ofthe rear body 12 circumferentially stretched by the same percentagegenerates. The right sleeve 3 and the left sleeve 4 longitudinallystretched by the same percentage may generate a longitudinal tension ofthe same magnitude.

Since the circumferential tension of the front body 11 and the rear body12 has the same magnitude as the longitudinal tension of the rightsleeve 3 and the left sleeve 4, the front body 11, the rear body 12, theright sleeve 3, and the left sleeve 4 can be manufactured from the samematerial. This enables the garment 1 to be made of single material toreduce its manufacture cost.

In view of the explanation described above, the invention can obviouslyhave many variations and modifications. Accordingly, it should beunderstood that the invention can have embodiments other than those inthe description within the scope of the claims attached to thedescription.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

1 garment, 2 body, 3 right sleeve, 4 left sleeve, 6 neckline, 7 hem, 8right armhole, 9 left armhole, 11 front body, 12 rear body, 13 upperarea of body, 17 first upper area, 18 second upper area.

1. A garment configured to cover at least a portion of the upper body ofa wearer, comprising: a tubular body extending vertically, including: afront body; and a rear body connected with the front body to form aneckline, a hem, a right armhole, and a left armhole, wherein: the hemis disposed below the neckline; the right armhole is disposed right ofthe neckline; the left armhole is disposed left of the neckline; and afirst upper area of the rear body with four corners at the upper andlower ends of the right armhole and the left armhole has a minimumhorizontal width shorter than a second upper area of the front body withfour corners at the upper and lower ends of the right, armhole and theleft armhole; a right sleeve connected with the right armhole andcapable of generating a longitudinal tension of 25 cN or more, whenlongitudinally stretched by 10%; and a left sleeve connected with theleft armhole and capable of generating a longitudinal tension of 25 cNor more, when longitudinally stretched by 10%.
 2. The garment accordingto claim 1, wherein: the right sleeve generates a circumferentialtension of 25 cN or more, when circumferentially stretched by 10%; andthe left sleeve generates a circumferential tension of 25 cN or more,when circumferentially stretched by 10%.
 3. A garment configured tocover at east a portion of the upper body of a wearer, comprising: atubular body extending vertically, including: a front body; and a rearbody connected with the front body to forma neckline, a hem, a rightarmhole, and a left armhole, wherein: the hem is disposed below theneckline; the right armhole is disposed right of the neckline; the leftarmhole is disposed left of the neckline; and a first upper area of therear body with four corners at the upper and lower ends of the rightarmhole and the left armhole has a minimum horizontal width shorter thana second upper area of the front body with four corners at the upper andlower ends of the right armhole and the left armhole; a right sleevethat is not longitudinally stretchy to generate a longitudinal tensionless than 25 cN, when longitudinally stretched by 10%, but can generatea circumferential tension of 25 cN or more, when circumferentiallystretched by 10%; and a left sleeve that i not longitudinall_(y)stretchy to generat a longitudinal tension less than 25 cN, whenlongitudinally stretched by 10%, but can generate a circumferentialtension of 25 cN or more, when circumferentially stretched by 10%. 4.The germent according to claim 1, wherein: the right sleeve is a longsleeve covering the upper right arm of the wearer and at least a portionof the lower right arm of the wearer; and the left sleeve is a longsleeve covering the upper left arm of the wearer and at least a portionof the lower left arm of the wearer.
 5. The garment according to claim1, wherein: the right sleeve is short sleeveovering the upper right armof the wear and the left sleeve covering the upper left arm of thewearer.
 6. The garment according to claim 1, wherein: the first upperarea of the rear body circumferentially stretched by a percentagegenerates a circumferential tension not weaker than a longitudinaltension that each of the right sleeve and the left sleeve longitudinallystretched by the same percentage generates; and the second upper area ofthe front body circumferentially stretched by a percentage generates acircumferential tension weaker than a circumferential tension that thefirst upper area of the rear body circumferentially stretched by thesame percentage generates,
 7. The garment according to claim 1, wherein:en the minimum horizontal width of the second upper area of the frontbody is X and the minimum horizontal width of the first upper area ofthe rear body is Y, Y/X falls within a range from approximately 0.05 toapproximately 0.9.
 8. The garment according to claim 1, wherein: thesecond upper area of the rear body circumferentially stretched by apercentage generates a circumferential tension of the same magnitude asa longitudinal tension that each of the right sleeve and the left sleevelongitudinally stretched by the same percentage generates; the secondupper area of the front body circumferentially stretched by a percentagegenerates a circumferential tension of the same magnitude as acircumferential tension that the first upper area of the rear bodycircumferentially stretched by the same percentage generates; and theright sleeve and the left sleeve longitudinally stretched by the samepercentage generate a longitudinal tension of the same magnitude.
 9. Thegarment according to claim 2, where the right sleeve is a long sleevecovering the upper right arm of the wearer and at least a portion of thelower right arm of the wearer; and the left sleeve is a long sleevecovering the upper left arm of the wearer and at least a portion of thelower left arm of the wearer.
 10. The garment according to claim 3,wherein. the right sleeve is a long sleeve covering the upper right archof the wearer and at least a portion of the lower right arm of thewearer; and the left sleeve is a long sleeve covering the upper left armof the wearer and at least a portion of the lower left arm of thewearer,
 11. The garment according to claim 2, wherein: the right sleeveis a short sleeve covering the upper right arm of the we and the leftsleeve is a short sleeve covering the uppe arm of the wearer.
 12. Thegarment according to claim 3, wherein: the right sleeve is a shortsleeve covering the upper right arm of the wearer; and the left sleeveis a short sleeve covering the upper left arm of the wearer.
 13. Thegarment according to claim 2, wherein: the first upper area of the rearbody circumferentially stretched by a percentage generates acircumferential tension not weaker than a longitudinal tension that eachof the right sleeve and the left sleeve longitudinally stretched by thesame percentage generates; and the second upper area of the front bodycircumferentially stretched by a percentage generates a circumferentialtension weaker than a circumferential tension that the first upper areaof the rear body circumferentially stretched by the same percentagegenerates.
 14. The garment according to claim 3, wherein: the firstupper area of the rear body circumferentially stretched by a percentagegenerates a circumferential tension not weaker than a longitudinaltension that each of the right sleeve and the left sleeve longitudinallystretched by the same percentage generates; and the second upper area ofthe front body circumferentially stretched by a percentage generates acircumferential tension weaker than a circumferential tension that thefirst upper area of the rear body circumferentially stretched by thesame percentage generates.
 15. The garment according to, claim 4,wherein: the first upper area of the rear body circumferentiallystretched by a percentage generates a circumferential tension not weakerthan a longitudinal tension that each of the right sleeve and the leftsleeve longitudinally stretched by the same percentage generates; andthe second upper area of the front body circumferentially stretched by apercentage generates a circumferential tension weaker than acircumferential tension that the first upper area of the rear bodycircumferentially stretched by the same percentage generates.
 16. Thegarment according to claim 5, wherein: the first upper area of the rearbody circumferentially stretched by a percentage generates acircumferential tension not weaker than a longitudinal tension that eachof the right sleeve and the left sleeve longitudinally stretched by thesame percentage generates; and the second upper area of the front bodycircumferentially stretched by a percentage generates a circumferentialtension weaker than a circumferential tension that the first upper areaof the rear body circumferentially stretched by the same percentagegenerates.
 17. The garment according to claim 2, wherein: when theminimum horizontal width of the second upper area of the front body is Xand the minimum horizontal width of the first upper area of the rearbody is Y, Y/X falls within a range from approximately 0.05 toapproximately 0.9.
 18. The garment according to claim 3, wherein: whenthe minimum horizontal width of the second upper area of the front bodyis X and the minimum horizontal width of the first upper area of therear body is Y, Y/X falls within a range from approximately 0.05 toapproximately 0.9.
 19. The garment according to claim 4, wherein: whenthe minimum horizontal width of the second upper area of the front bodyis X and the minimum horizontal width of the first upper area of therear body is Y, Y/X falls within a range from approximately 0.05 toapproximately 0.9.
 20. The garment according to claim 5, wherein: whenthe minimum horizontal width of the second upper area of the front bodyis X and the minimum horizontal width of the first upper area of therear body is Y, Y/X falls within a range from approximately 0.05 toapproximately 0.9.